Square feed1:1 · 1080×1080px
Portrait feed4:5 · 1080×1350px
Reels / Stories9:16 · 1080×1920px
Landscape feed1.91:1 · 1080×566px
Reference
Social media image sizes for 2026.
One cheat sheet for every feed, story, reel, carousel and header on the networks you actually use. Bookmark it and stop guessing.
- Free
- No signup
- 9 networks
- 2026 sizes
Rendering notes
A few things the cheat sheet doesn’t show
Safe zones matter
On Reels, Stories and TikTok, the bottom 250px is covered by the UI. Keep text in the top two thirds.Most networks re-encode
Always upload at the listed pixel size (or 2× for retina) — letting the platform upscale produces visible artifacts.9:16 travels best
A single 9:16 master can be reposted across Reels, TikTok, Shorts, Stories and Threads with minimal cropping.Carousels still rule
On Instagram and LinkedIn, use 4:5 for the strongest in-feed real estate.
Reverse lookup
Got dimensions? Find the matching platforms.
4:50.800
Closest platform targets
- Portrait (4:5)IG / LinkedIn carouselexact match
- Square (1:1)IG / LinkedIn / X feed20.0% off
- Pinterest pin (2:3)Pinterest standard pin20.0% off
- Story / Reel (9:16)IG, TikTok, Reels, Stories42.2% off
- Wide 16:9YouTube, X large card55.0% off
TikTok
X (Twitter)
Threads
Bluesky
Mastodon
FAQ
Frequently asked
What is the best aspect ratio for Instagram in 2026?
4:5 (1080 × 1350) — it takes up the most vertical screen real estate in feed, which means more dwell time and higher reach. 1:1 (1080 × 1080) is the legacy default. 9:16 (1080 × 1920) is for Reels and Stories.
Can I post horizontal video on TikTok?
Technically yes, but the algorithm penalizes anything that does not fill a 9:16 phone screen. If your source is 16:9, either re-crop to 9:16 with motion, or add blurred-background bars — never just letterbox.
What is the right size for a LinkedIn header image?
1584 × 396 pixels (4:1 ratio) for personal profiles. Company pages use 1128 × 191 (about 6:1). LinkedIn crops aggressively on mobile — keep important content in the center 60 %.
Why does my image look cropped differently on each platform?
Every platform decides its own thumbnail crop and "safe zone." Your full 1200 × 630 OG image might be cropped to a square on iMessage and a 1.91:1 on Facebook. Always keep critical content (logo, headline) in the center 1080 × 540 area.
Should I upload at 1× or 2× retina dimensions?
Upload at the network’s listed pixel dimensions, not 2×. Most networks re-encode and downsize on the server side. Going larger than the spec is wasted bytes; going smaller produces visible artifacts.
What aspect ratio for YouTube thumbnails?
16:9 (1280 × 720). YouTube specifies 1280 × 720 as the minimum and recommends 1920 × 1080 for sharp scaling on 4K screens. Keep text readable at 120 × 68 — that is the smallest thumbnail size YouTube renders.
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